Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) is poised to scupper an attempt by Senate Republicans to finally discover why Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings hired Joe Biden’s son, Hunter. Democrats in Congress have appeared strangely eager to squash any inquiries into the Burisma-Biden connection, but why is Romney opposing the Republican probe? Would he go so far as to block a congressional subpoena? The answer may be less conspiratorial and more mundane than many would suspect.
Why Hunter Biden was recruited to Burisma’s board of directors, of course, is only the beginning of the story: There was nothing illegal about the hire – no matter how improper it seemed. What Biden did for the company and why his father pressured the Ukrainian government into firing the prosecutor investigating Burisma, however, is another story.
The Biden-Burisma Irony
How ironic it is that what drove Democrats over the edge into a half-baked impeachment investigation of President Trump was the prospect of an inquiry into the connection between Hunter Biden and Burisma. Without that investigation, no one in America would be talking about this foreign company or Joe Biden’s son.
Conservative news outlets and social media have been awash with stories of potentially corrupt connections between the sons of various American politicians and Ukrainian businesses. The truth behind these stories – if, indeed, there is any – seems illusive. Nevertheless, Joe Biden and his son are tied to Burisma, and no amount of hand-wringing on the part of Democrats will change that.
Political Investigations Are Bad, Now?
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee, revealed March 2 that he intended to subpoena Blue Star Strategies to testify. As reported by The Washington Examiner, Blue Star Strategies represents Burisma in the United States. Johnson argues that the testimony is integral to determining if the company “sought to leverage Hunter Biden’s role as a board member of Burisma to gain access to, and potentially influence matters at, the State Department.”
On March 5, Romney – who sits on Johnson’s committee – told reporters that the probe “appears political.” Strangely, the senator from Utah did not notice anything political about the weeks-long investigation into a telephone conversation between the president and a foreign head of state.
“I think people are tired of these kind of political investigations,” Romney said, indicating that he may vote against issuing the Blue Star subpoena. Again, the senator did not appear to notice any such fatigue when Democrats launched their impeachment effort – even after three years of constant investigation into President Trump. How very strange that Romney would suddenly decide there has been enough investigation, just as Republicans turn their attention to Biden.
The Green-Eyed Monster
Romney certainly shares something with the late Sen. John McCain, and that something is a deep and ill-concealed loathing of the president. As all other “never-Trumpers” melted away or changed their tune to become Trump loyalists, only McCain and Romney stood their ground and held onto their animus. The two men had something else in common, of course: Both wanted, more than anything else, to be president, and both failed miserably in their attempts to achieve that office. Trump – an outsider – swept into the White House against all predictions. One does not need to be Sherlock Holmes to connect the dots: McCain resented Trump for succeeding where he had failed, and Romney seems to feel the same.
More specifically, Romney knows that should a Senate investigation into Hunter Biden’s Burisma dealings uncover anything that reeks of corruption or influence-peddling, Trump’s impeachment will be discredited. After all, it was based on the president nudging the Ukrainians toward looking into the Biden-Burisma affair. If Senate Republicans discover wrongdoing or corrupt intent, Trump will be vindicated, his impeachment exposed as nothing more than a politically motivated hit-job.
Romney may be a recent addition to inside-the-Beltway politics, but he has been, for many years, a part of the American political establishment. Little wonder, then, that he may also be motivated by a desire to protect Joe Biden, his fellow Swamp-dweller, against a probe that was effectively brought into the spotlight by the usurper, Trump.
Sometimes, political intrigue is not all about vast conspiracies and secret, backroom deals. Sometimes, it is just about everyday, old-fashioned base emotions, such as jealousy and resentment.
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Read more from Graham J. Noble.
